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CITY

Des Moines

Iowa · 212,086 residents (2025 est.) · 88.162 sq mi
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Notable rankings
#116Largest by populationof 4,896212,086
The short version

Des Moines has lower-than-average household income, with a median household income of $65,932. Population has held roughly steady since 2000. Median home value has more than doubled since 2000, reaching $194,700. At a median age of 34.6, residents skew younger than the country as a whole.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 34.6
US median: 38.9
Less educated
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 34%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
212,421
+7%since 2000
from 198,682 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
2,409 / sq mi
+8%since 2009
from 2,229 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
34.6
+2%since 2000
from 33.8 in 2000
US average: 38.9

PEP 2025 EST:212,086 residents (Census Bureau Vintage 2025, released March 2026)

Population, 1990 – 2024
191K198K205K211K218K1990201020202024Des Moines
2024212K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.5%(13,800)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.1%(12,887)
US avg: 6%
10 to 146.5%(13,879)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 197%(14,851)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 247.9%(16,804)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3416.8%(35,638)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4413.3%(28,234)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5411.4%(24,217)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6411.8%(25,066)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 747.9%(16,744)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 843.3%(6,988)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.6%(3,313)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$65,932
−6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $38,408 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$37,863
+94%since 2000
from $19,467 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
43.5%
+20.8 ptssince 2009
from 22.8% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
15.0%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 11.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.440
−1%since 2010
from 0.442 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Other services11.4%
US avg: 6.7%
Information11%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade10.4%
US avg: 9.9%
Public administration10.2%
US avg: 4.8%
Wholesale trade8%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance5.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Arts, entertainment, food1.5%
US avg: 1.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.9%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.9%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.4%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$194,700
+34%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,900 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,090
+12%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $532 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
60.5%
−4.2 ptssince 2000
from 64.7% in 2000
39.5% rent
Vacancy rate
7.7%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.8% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Owner cost-burdened
21.5%
−5.1 ptssince 2009
from 26.5% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
46.6%
−1.0 ptssince 2009
from 47.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
3.0
+13%since 2009
from 2.6 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index: median home value divided by median household income. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
53
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
RELATED:See current rent listings in Des Moines on RentDataNow
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic79.6%(158,095)
Black8%(15,813)
Hispanic / Latino6.6%(13,138)
Asian3.5%(6,885)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic61%(129,545)
Black11.1%(23,574)
Hispanic / Latino16.3%(34,573)
Asian6.6%(13,931)
Other5.1%(10,798)
Diversity Score
73
+36%since 2009
from 54 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican11%(23,447)
Central American2.9%(6,250)
Salvadoran1.9%(3,984)
Puerto Rican0.9%(1,869)
Guatemalan0.5%(1,168)
Honduran0.4%(930)
Spaniard0.3%(627)
Cuban0.2%(491)
Colombian0.1%(202)
Dominican0.1%(181)
Ecuadorian0.1%(164)
+ 7 more hispanic origin groups with data
Peruvian0.1%(119)
Argentine0%(37)
Chilean0%(33)
Asian origin
Burmese1.7%(3,529)
Vietnamese0.9%(1,876)
Laotian0.8%(1,656)
Nepalese0.6%(1,200)
Asian Indian0.4%(784)
Chinese0.3%(693)
Bhutanese0.3%(611)
Thai0.2%(389)
Filipino0.1%(306)
Korean0.1%(285)
Cambodian0.1%(264)
Kazakh0.1%(182)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Hmong0.1%(177)
Sri Lankan0.1%(124)
Japanese0%(80)
Taiwanese0%(15)
Malaysian0%(15)
Pacific Islander origin
Marshallese0.1%(172)
Samoan0%(36)
Chamorro0%(34)
Tongan0%(15)
Ancestry
German18.9%(40,183)
Irish12.4%(26,297)
English9.9%(20,951)
Italian3.4%(7,165)
American3.2%(6,726)
Norwegian2.6%(5,442)
Dutch2.2%(4,672)
Swedish1.9%(3,997)
Scottish1.6%(3,490)
French1.4%(2,890)
Polish1.1%(2,441)
+ 46 more ancestry groups with data
Danish0.8%(1,725)
Scotch-Irish0.8%(1,665)
Welsh0.7%(1,451)
Czech0.7%(1,429)
Somali0.6%(1,219)
British0.4%(845)
Russian0.4%(768)
West Indian0.3%(704)
Ethiopian0.3%(640)
Croatian0.3%(632)
Greek0.2%(440)
Nigerian0.2%(430)
Haitian0.2%(420)
Arab0.2%(404)
Swiss0.2%(371)
Kenyan0.1%(257)
Austrian0.1%(245)
Ukrainian0.1%(205)
Canadian0.1%(199)
Lithuanian0.1%(179)
Jamaican0.1%(170)
Slovak0.1%(154)
Lebanese0.1%(150)
Finnish0.1%(141)
Hungarian0.1%(137)
Romanian0.1%(118)
Belgian0%(96)
Latvian0%(95)
Iraqi0%(94)
Bulgarian0%(83)
Turkish0%(64)
Serbian0%(54)
Israeli0%(42)
Slovene0%(22)
Ghanaian0%(20)
Brazilian0%(18)
Syrian0%(12)
Iranian0%(5)
RANKED:Largest German population · Largest Irish population · Largest Mexican population · Largest English population · Largest Subsaharan African population
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
29.7%
+7.9 ptssince 2000
from 21.8% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
87.0%
+4.0 ptssince 2000
from 83.0% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
9.3%
+2.9 ptssince 2000
from 6.5% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
19.5 min
+84%since 2000
from 10.5 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
70.9%
−7.4 ptssince 2009
from 78.3% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
11.0%
−1.1 ptssince 2009
from 12.0% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.8%
−1.9 ptssince 2009
from 2.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
13.1%
+10.4 ptssince 2009
from 2.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
2.4%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 3.0% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.4%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
9.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 9.1% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.6%
−2.3 ptssince 2011
from 8.0% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
71.1%
+0.1 ptssince 2011
from 71.0% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Self-employed
10.5%
−0.8 ptssince 2009
from 11.3% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
37.7%
−24.8 ptssince 2009
from 62.5% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
50.0%
+1.5 ptssince 2009
from 48.5% in 2009
Female
50.0%
−1.5 ptssince 2009
from 51.5% in 2009
Foreign born
14.2%
+4.7 ptssince 2009
from 9.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.0%
−42.7 ptssince 2009
from 47.7% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.3%
+1.3 ptssince 2012
from 13.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
7.2%
−81.5 ptssince 2013
from 88.7% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
89.8%
+14.4 ptssince 2017
from 75.4% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
English only at home
78.1%
−4.5 ptssince 2016
from 82.7% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
11.5%
+2.4 ptssince 2016
from 9.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married44.2%(37,868)
Married41.4%(35,413)
Widowed3%(2,585)
Divorced11.4%(9,765)
Women 15+
Never married38.1%(32,887)
Married40.1%(34,594)
Widowed8%(6,903)
Divorced13.7%(11,840)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Explore

Neighborhoods in Des Moines

BeaverdaleDrakeHighland ParkIndianola HillsLower BeaverMerle HaySouthwestern HillsWatrous SouthWaveland ParkNeighborhoods in Des Moines
Drill deeper

Places similar to Des Moines

Worcester
Pop 213,862
Grand Rapids
Pop 201,183
Fayetteville
Pop 209,120
Sunrise Manor
Pop 200,218
Places similar to Des Moines
Head to head

Compare Des Moines to nearby cities

DES MOINES VS
Pleasant Hill
Income$90,508+37%
Home value$295,100+52%
Population11,239−95%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Norwalk
Income$102,722+56%
Home value$303,100+56%
Population15,004−93%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
Altoona
Income$86,114+31%
Home value$274,600+41%
Population22,796−89%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
DES MOINES VS
West Des Moines
Income$86,594+31%
Home value$309,000+59%
Population74,224−65%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Des Moines, Iowa?

Des Moines, Iowa has about 212,421 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Des Moines, Iowa?

The typical household in Des Moines, Iowa earns about $65,932 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Des Moines, Iowa expensive?

In Des Moines, Iowa, the median home is worth about $194,700, and the typical rent is about $1,090 a month.

How educated are people in Des Moines, Iowa?

About 29.7% of adults age 25 and over in Des Moines, Iowa hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Des Moines, Iowa?

About 15.0% of people in Des Moines, Iowa live below the federal poverty line.

Has Des Moines, Iowa grown since 1990?

Yes, Des Moines, Iowa has grown since 1990. The population has added about 19,234 residents, a change of about 10 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →